Raven's Wound
by Shade the Raven
Summary: ONESHOT feat. Killswitch Engage and my OC. Because all is fair when love is war


**Well, I've mentioned him a few times in stories past, so now I introduce him to you. Shade the Raven, my OC, at your service.**

**And to clear any confusion, I had the name first. SEGA always takes the good ideas j/k**

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**_Raven's Wound_**

**_By Shade the Raven_**

(all music and non-original property of their respective artists; Shade the Raven property of ME!/ Aero the Highwind property of my brother)

He stood atop the mountain peak, the breeze shifting through his midnight feathers, and watched as the lights and figures of the population played out before him. Taking a long draw from the cancerous creeping death hanging from his beak he closed his amber eyes in solace and thought. Below him, as the mass contorted itself through its motions, Shade shook his head in simple disgust

_Such sad creatures. They can never understand…_

And in his mind, they never could. Unlike his friends Sonic the Hedgehog, or Aero the Highwind, they were not warriors. These people below could never understand true feeling, true _power_ as they did. Because soldiers such as himself or his comrades fought with the greatest of weapons; their hearts.

To the raven, it was as simple as that. Love, war, bliss or agony. To him, they all stemmed from the same base.

Passion. That which drives the mind of any being to its finest.

Many of the beings below would probably make the false claim they understand, or that they too have felt such a power through them. But inside, Shade knew that they were only fooling themselves. How could they really know that the flames of combat and war still burn the mind and essence the same way that lust and ecstasy can? They couldn't, because they were not warriors. And until they learned how to wield the weapon each one of them possessed the same way he and his kin did, no one below his gaze would be worthy of being a warrior.

_So how ironic it comes to be_, the raven thought, _that on this day, a day marked by happiness, by warmth, by emotion… how is it now that I find myself disarmed?_

Indeed, how can one fight with a heart so broken?

Leaping from the peak, Shade let his wings spread to catch the air, and glided silently over the metropolis. Even at such altitude, he could still pick out his friends and comrades that were also applying their trades tonight. Sonic was racing down the main interstate, rushing off to be the hero to yet another calamity somewhere, or possible just nursing that contagious need to not be in one spot too long. Shade sympathized with the ideal, but agreed with most others that the 'fastest thing alive' was sometimes just too damm irresponsible, and that little trait was going to be the end of him one day.

Rouge the Bat was staking out the roof of one of the major financial deposits. She had asked for the raven's help on this particular knockover, but he told her easily translated tempting that he would leave the petty thievery to her. Besides, he knew that ruby echidna Knuckles would bounce along sooner or later to catch her, and the two would fight, make up, make out, and move on, as they always do.

Shadow, the only other creature as dark and misunderstood as him, was settled around the same old tree he and his new toy Amy Rose, sharing yet another night of close companionship. It was an odd sight, one that most of them were still getting used to, but a welcome sight nonetheless. After all, sometimes opposites attract in a good way.

Further along the street, an ever-familiar triple-tailed blue fox was walking a bright orange twin-tailed vixen to a more secluded spot, arms linked and smiles infectious. Shade knew his oldest friend Aero the Highwind was kind hearted enough to support his Millie. He just hoped the young Highwind knew what he was doing. The two canines were both one of a kind, and that may have been for the best. But didn't that little detail almost guarantee that they would end up together? The raven just hoped his brother-in-arms understood the trying nature of love, or at least as much as Shade thought he did.

Only a few weeks ago, he would have been doing the same as them, spending yet another night with his own dream. With _her_.

At first glance, they were quite opposite, her lighthearted, carefree and loud mannerisms compared very differently to his much quieter, more calculating nature. So naturally, these two had shocked a few when it was apparent they were together. But that shock grew into the beginning of what was the best of chapters in his life. Finally, Shade could experience the true power of what the heart was supposed to entail. He was entranced by her. Even if he had fought against an army a million strong, her smile was enough to breathe strength and power into his tired limbs to fight a million more.

And for a time, life was right. No longer did Shade want to walk his path alone. He was ready to share all he had with her. Just as she shared with him. Was this not the definition of the word 'love'?

Then it all came crashing down. Some said it was the constant distance between the two, her being so tied to the local community and her roots was the staunch opposite of his time treasure-hunting and world-saving with Sonic and Aero. Others said they were just too different to ever mesh the way he wanted. All the raven knew that when it finally did explode, it was very much the worst possible way ever conceivable. Even the most violent detonations of wars past seemed to pale in comparison to this internal supernova. That of all things that should never be, or of all things that shouldn't be allowed to continue, what they shared was never supposed to fall into either of those listings. It was supposed to be grand, spectacular…damm near perfect even! The mere thought of all that had went wrong brought back the acidic burn to his throat, and the lead in his chest. Even now, with all this time to stitch himself shut, the raven had this funny feeling that this wasn't going to go away, as it never did. _Because all is fair when love is war…_

So now the midnight warrior flew without his guide, without a cause. Until a familiar sound caught his ear, the sound of twin hammers thundering against their drumheads and the ravaging howl of the electric guitars riding on them. Immediately, Shade slowed to a hover to find the source of these wonderful melodies. And indeed, a massive crowd had gathered along the beachhead directly ahead of him. The outside borders shifted constantly as the central crowds of people crashed and collided in an energy and fury worthy of a mosh pit most grand. It was just the kind of gathering the raven was looking for.

Diving at full speed, Shade still landed silently at the edge of the crowd as the current song was winding down. The screams of the crowd and the stenches of sweat, blood, alcohol and seawater were invigorating, but it was the words the singer roared that really caught the raven's attention. They mirrored everything Shade seemed to personify at the moment, from a weighted pair of wings to the unbridled energy of his core.

_Set this world ablaze  
We alone remain  
Don't fear what awaits  
We alone remain_

_Let the skies turn black  
Let the infection burn  
This is the new beginning  
Embrace eternity_

_Let it all fall_  
_Set this world ablaze_

The words slowly faded away as the people around him screamed for more. He could feel their power add to his own, breaking that last mental barrier. All the anger, raw and unbound, could be put to a good use. It was glorious, indeed. He worked his way through the torrent of bodies until he was front and center against the stage, as if the proximity of the blasting notes against his bones could burn throughout him.

Leading them all was a well-built ashen wolf, almost snarling into the microphone, before switching into a voice clearer than the sky "You all know this next one, and it goes out to each and everyone of you insane metalheads who know just what a curse life can be…"

The soft notes of a new song struck the raven as being a bit odd, yet the crowd instantly went wild. Shade was intrigued, but as the rest of the instruments joined in all at once, the pit thundered together like a wave and pulled him in too. Not that he minded much, the raven couldn't turn down a good thrashing like this. No sooner than the leader howled the first scream into the night did Shade turn to the pit forming near him and push both the poor marsupial in front of him in along with himself.

_I watched you walk away  
Helpless, with nothing to say  
_

_I strain my eyes  
Hoping to see you again  
_

_This is my curse (the longing)_

_This is my curse (time)  
This is my curse (the yearning)  
This is my curse_

The pounding thud of the drums resonated within him, just as the words played havoc in his mind as he rocked his skull up and down. It was like he was on stage himself, howling the out into the world that thought which made his wings into stone and heart as black as his feathers. But as the wolf above them switched again to sing clear enough for any fool to understand, the raven felt a familiar twinge inside him.

_  
There is love burning to find you  
Will you wait for me?  
Will you be there?  
_

It was a question that had been asked a dozen times over. Every time that duty or the hunt had called Shade away from his real passion. At first, her answer had been a longing 'yes' with a countdown until his return. Though over time, that need had apparently dissolved into dismissal and finally it vanished into void altogether. As much as Shade wanted to denounce this as being an unjust sentence for his actions, he couldn't help but agree that maybe he was as much at fault as life itself.

_  
Your silence haunts me  
But still I hunger for you_

_This is my curse (the wanting)_  
_This is my curse (time)_  
_This is my curse (the needing)_  
_This is my curse_

_There is love burning to find you_  
_Will you wait for me?_

In an instant, the beating drums all but faded out to let only one guitar whisper its hurt along the lyrics. It was like the world around him suddenly stood still to take its measure of each and every one of them. He was tired of feeling deprived of altitude and latitude. Everyone around him froze as well, absorbing the feeling, like being cleansed in a stream of clear notes before re-energized by the frenzy that was tonight._  
_

_Still I want  
And still I ache  
But still I wait  
To see you again  
_

Suddenly, everything exploded around him in a cataclysm of chaotic energy. Bodies of flesh and sound slammed together in a battle worthy of the wailing instruments that echoed well into the night. Still, in his mind, all he could picture was that smile and those bright eyes so full of vitality. Finally, instead of the bitterness she used to bring to bear against him, the raven saw only those treasured times once shared.

_  
Dying, inside, these walls  
Dying, inside, these walls_

_  
And I see your face in these tears, in these tears  
And I see your face...  
_

Even if he was being pushed every which way and unable to even turn without meeting a forceful thrust, Shade could not help but smile. He was back again, reaching out from the pits that had seemed to drag him under the choking current and breathing free in the melee of existence.

_  
There is love _

_There is love_

_There is love_

And as the wolf's voice faded beneath the roar of that simple statement of truth and a thousand faceless surroundings, only one thought swirled through Shade's mind. The time had come to drop this unwanted stone from his heart and take flight into the unknown once more. Just as all his compatriots had seemed to do in their own right, this darkened avian would find his own lot in life. _Yes, there was love once, and someday, there will be again._

One final note thundered above the crowd, trumpeting the end of the devotion, and on cue, the midnight hunter threw himself into the air to let the wind wash over him. His mind had been settled, his path re-opened for the raven to follow or deviate from as was fit. It was time to get back to work. Tossing his expended smoke into the water, Shade bolted off into the night once again, smiling like a content fool "Get ready, cause the raven is back to CONQUER THE WORLD!!" he yelled out into the night.

_Meanwhile, on the other side of the metropolis…_

The declaration was carried on the wind itself, breezing through alleys and freeways alike, until it reached the one person who fully understood what it meant. And the moment he heard it, instinct took over, as Aero the Highwind struck a dramatic pose, finger pointed high into the sky and suddenly sporting a large grey hat engraved with the initials 'M.B.'

"OF COURSE!" the triple-tailed kitsune announced, much to the surprise of the vixen tucked under his arm. "Ummm, Aero…what was that?" Millie asked, looking up at the blue character with confusion.

The Highwind also sported a perplexed look for a moment before he smiled and squeezed her closer to him "Don't worry about it, love. I think someone finally found themselves again." With that, Aero looked to the sky and nodded and shadow streaking past above them. "Good luck bird. Give em hell for me too."

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**And so, I do hope you all enjoyed. And I look forward to bringing Shade to you more often**

**Reviews are welcome**


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